Shoe fastener



March 31, 1925. 1,531,461

K. UYEDA Y SHOE mswmwa Filed April 28. 1924 WITNESSES INVENTOR Ko/cH/ UYEDH $3 BY A TTORNE YS Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES KOICHI UYEDA, 0F STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SHOE FASTENER.

Application filed April as, 1924. Serial No. 709,538.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KoIoHI UYEDA, a citi- Zen of Japan, and a resident of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and $tate of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Shoe Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a simple and eflicient shoe fastening device to take the place of ordinary shoe laces or buttons.

An object of the invention is to provide with each shoe a plurality of simple, eflicient, strong and durable fasteners which can be readily slipped into the eyelets of the shoe to hold the opposite sides of the upper in proper relation, thus avoiding the necessity for taking the time required to lace the shoe.

Another object concerns the provision of a simple fastening device which will be strong and durable enough to outlast the ordinary shoe lace many times.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings. of which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fastoner:

Fig. is a partial plan view of a shoe with two of the fasteners applied; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In its general aspects the invention comprises a flexible member from the opposite ends of which extend offset tongue portions, preferably of metal, which are adapted to he slipped through the eyelets in the upper of the shoe. and by reason of their offset portion to firmly hold the fastener in engagement. The flexibility of the main body of the. fastener will tend to hold the uppers together. Simple clamping means is provided in association with one of the tongues so that one end of the fastener may be more or less permanently attached to the shoe, thus requiring only the detachment of one end of each fastener from its eyelet in order to get the foot out of the shoe.

In the more specific embodiment shown in the. drawings, which is a preferred embodiment, 1 illustrate a fastener comprising a body portion 1 of suitable flexible material, preferably elastic braid, on the opposite ends of which are suitably disposed metallic sleeves 2 and 3. From the ends of the elastic or flexible body portion 1 extend offset tongue portions 1 and 5, preferably of metal, and preferably tonnected to the sleeves 2 and 8. As shown in sectionin Fig. 3, these tongue portions are adapted to extend through the eyelets in the upper 7 of the shoe, and by reason of their offset nature and the fact that they are of considerable length, will engage firmly with the uppers, the flexibility of the body por tion 1 tending to draw the uppers together by reason of this engagement.

In association with one of the tongues 4-. and preferably extending from the sleeve 3, is a clamping plate or lip 6 which is adapted to lie on the outside of the upper adjacent the eyelet through which the tongue 4; extends. This clamping plate 6 is made of flexible material which can be pressed tightly against the outside of the upper 7 to more permanently hold the tongue in the position shown, thus requiring for the unfastening of the shoe merely the detachment of the tongue 5 from its eyelet. As shown in the drawings, the upper 7 is provided with the usual eyelets 8 and a leather tongue 9 which is disposed between the metal parts of the fastener and the foot.

It is understood, of course, that a fastening device of this type is furnished for each pair of eyelets, and that, preferably, one end of each fastening device is more or less permanently attached to the upper in the manner above described. After the foot is inserted in the shoe, therefore, it is merely necessary to slightly elongate the body portion 1 and slip the tongue 5 of each fastenermember into its respective eyelet, whereupon the elasticity of the body member will draw the upper portions together.

What I claim is 1. A shoe fastener for shoes having upper portions provided with oppositely disposed eyelets, which comprises an elastic body portion, offset tongues at opposite ends of said body portion adapted to extend into the eyelet portions and engage therewith, and clamping means associated with one of said tongues to hold it permanently in association with the upper.

2. A fastening device for shoes, which comprises an elastic body portion, a dependent offset tongue at each end of said body portion, said tongue adapted to be projected through the eyelets of the uppers of the shoe, a flexible clamping plate disposed adjacent one of said tongues and adapted to lie on the outside of the upper, said clamping plate adaptedtobe pressed against the uppe1'. for the purpose of: holding that: end of the fastening device substantially permanently to the upper.

3. A shoe fastener," which" comprises an elastlc body portion, sleeves disposed on the ends of said body portion, ofi'set tongues as sociated with said sleevesand extending from the opposite ends of the body por'-' on that end of the body portion said tongues adapted-toextend-through the eyelets in the upper of a shoe, the upper adapted to be gripped between one of said tongues and KOICHI UYEDA.

the clampingplate. 

